Republicans Lose Support in Rural America

June 11, 2007 — Ron Chusid

I’ve commented frequently on the decline of the Republican Party. Increasingly it seems they are limited to the south and rural areas. Scratch that. Not even the rural areas are safe for them any more. A poll conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research for the Center for Rural Strategies shows that support for Republicans is declining even in the rural areas. NPR’s Morning Edition reports:

“I think there are two big headlines out of this poll,” says Anna Greenberg of the Democratic polling firm of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. “The first is ‘Republican Collapse in Rural Areas.’ And the second is ‘Rural is the Battleground in 2008.”

Republicans very well many still win the ex-burbs and rural areas, but they will not win by overwhelming margins as in the past, making Democratic victories statewide more likely. Republicans may also need to place more resources in areas which they previously took for granted.

Before Democrats count on a 1964 type landslide, keep in mind that a lot can change between now and election day. Iraq was the major factor cited for the hostility towards the Republicans. If Democrats are not perceived as doing enough to end the war, traditional Republican voters might not see them as a valid alternative. Right now we are expecting a big show down in September This better not turn out to be as disappointing as The Soprano‘s finale.

He denies plans to make a movie, or if he does make a movie there is talk it would be about earlier generations.

I think he wanted to create a lot of buzz. I don’t mind an ambiguos ending, but it would have been better if the first reaction was to wonder what is going to happen as opposed to wondering whether the cable went out.